Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Classroom Managment
Through your experiences as a student in elementary, middle, or high school, describe a classroom management technique that a teacher used (don't worry about the name of the technique, just describe it). How did you feel about the management technique as a student? If you were the teacher would you use the same technique? Why or why not?
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As a student, I can remember many classroom management strategies used by previous teachers. Some were extremely successful while others were not. One particular strategies that I can recall was used by my sixth an seventh grade math teacher. This teacher had a very strict set of rules and procedures. All the rules were created by the teacher and presented in a controlling manner. There was no justification as to why they were implemented and used in classroom. I can still remember some the classroom rules this teacher enforced. This is probably due to the fact that they were the rules I frequently broke. Students were not allowed to chew gum during class or talk during individual work time. Every student knew what would happen if they broke a rule. The teacher would call your name during class and reprimand you infront of your peers. Once your broke a rule, your name was written down on a sheet of paper. If your name was written down three times, you received detention or had to write the same lengthy sentence fifteen times stating that you will not break the rule again. This teacher almost always had control of the classroom and there were very few behaviroal problems from students.
ReplyDeleteAs a student, I hated this classroom management technique. I had the tendency of being very talkative in class was fearful that I would get in trouble and be humiliated infront of my classmantes. However this did keep my disruptive talking to a minimum. I remember being very upset once I found out that my name was written down on the paper three times. I was typically a good student and was terrified of getting detention. After that, I behaved well out of fear of the consequences, not because I was motivated to learn. However, I remember learning a lot in this class because I knew how information was going to presented and what was expected from me as a student. As I got older and had more experiences with successful and unsuccessfully managed classrooms, I learned to appreciate the order the teacher created.
As a teacher, I would be reluctant to use this classroom management strategy. I would like to encourage productive behavior by allowing students to participate in the development of rules and be able to explain the reason for having the rule in the classroom. My example showcases a classroom that was managed through fear. This is something that I would like to avoid in my future classroom. Students should not be continuously fearful of getting in trouble. I did appreciate this particular teachers use of rules and procedures in the classroom. This provide students with order and structure. This is something I am certain I will need to incorporate in the classroom if I want to be a successful educator. I would like to create a classroom management strategy that minics this teachers order and control in the classroom but without instilling fearing withing the students.
In elementary school, my teachers used a peace sign as a classroom management technique. Whenever they wanted our attention, they would hold up two fingers until every student realized what was happening. As a student, I didn't necessarily like or dislike this technique. However, it was embarrassing when you were the only one talking because you didn't notice the signal. As a teacher, I don't plan on using this technique in the future because students don't always notice the attention getter in a timely manner. Instead, I would like to use "one, two, three eyes on me; one, two eyes on you", "iceberg", or clapping.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in elementary, a classroom management technique that I can remember being used was having our name written on the board if we were overly talkative or misbehaving. If we kept up our talking or misbehaving then we would get a check mark behind our name. Students would receive more check marks if the behavior didn’t change, or they continued misbehaving. When a student got three check marks, they had to stay in a certain amount of time for recess. I can’t remember how long or what they students had to do when they stayed in for recess. I can remember that most of the teachers used this technique and it wasn’t just a specific teacher.
ReplyDeleteMy mom works at the elementary, so growing up I had to be on my best behavior because she would always find out if I was acting up in class. As a student I was always afraid to act up because of that reason and also because I didn’t want to get in trouble or stay inside from recess.
I might use this technique when I become a teacher, because it shows the students that they are not behaving in a way that you approve of, but also gives the students many chances to act up. Also some kids might not care that they are going to miss recess and act up just so they can stay in, especially if it’s cold out.
I had a very intimidating 4th grade teacher who would literally "get in your face" if you were being disruptive or even minorly off task in class. Not that she physically hurt any student, but she would talk quite loudly and embarrass students. I remember how intimidating and scary it was to have her so close to your face! I rarely got in trouble with teachers, especially with her, but I remember tearing up when she got mad at some of my friends. The management strategy was awful! She may have recieved obedience for invoking fear, but she didn't get respect, which is why problems continued to occur. I never will deal with student misbehavior by intimidating my students. I want to be a teacher that students feel comfortable talking to and solving problems with.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience as Erica in elementary school. However, instead of the peace sign my teachers used the high five sign. I remember being the last student to notice when the teacher held their hand up and was the last one talking. I would get embarassed because I was the last one talking. I agree that this might not be the most effective management strategy. During my level 1 field experience, the teacher use the "1, 2, 3, eyes on me" phase to get the students attention and quiet them down. This strategy worked extremely well in quieting the students almost immediately. The students stopped any side converstion they were having to answer "1, 2, eyes on you." I think using a visual cue, such as flickering the lights, would also be effective to maintaining classroom control as well.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school, I had a PE teacher who would call you out if you weren't participating or if you were doing something wrong. For example, I didn't like dodgeball, so I would usually get out on purpose right away, or stand at the back of the gym talking to my friends. My teacher would then say something like, "Shelby, get in the game or you're not going to get any participation points for today!"
ReplyDeleteAs a student, this management technique worked for me, because I care a lot about grades and things like that, but I didn't like it at all...it was embarrassing to be called out in front of the entire class, and I started to resent my teacher.
As a teacher, I don't think I'll use this strategy. I don't want to be a PE teacher, so it doesn't really apply in this situation, but if a student is off task in class, I'm going to try my best not to scold them from across the room. In my opinion, management is more effective if you walk over to the student and remind them to be on task in a quiet voice. Plus, your presence is more likely to make them stay on task. Having been in this situation myself and feeling that resentment towards my teacher, I know this is a management strategy I want to avoid, because I don't want to give my students cause to resent me-I want the classroom atmosphere to be a friendly place where students feel comfortable learning.
I remember my elementary school teachers sending students to the hallway when they were disrupting class. As a student, this made me stay more on task because I did not want to be singled out like that and then whoever walked by in the hallway knew why you were out there. For most students it was a good motivator to behave.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher now, I would not like to use that technique. The student does not benefit from their time in the hallway. Instead, they are learning that they can get out of classwork by being disruptive and they are publicly called out for their misbehavior. I would rather do something that draws as little class attention to the problem as possible.
Like Kara and Eric, I also remember raising hands to get the class to quiet down. Even though it was kind of awkward when you were the last one talking, I feel like it was an effective routine that I would consider using in my classroom. It was used school wide which made it easier to remember what to do. Since it was so widely used, it was helpful outside of the classroom as well, like in the lunchroom.
ReplyDeleteI can remember a similar situation as Anneliese. In sixth grade I had a friend who liked to talk a lot and not listen to the teachers. If she started talking a lot when she wasn’t supposed to he would tell her to go walk the halls. I feel like she didn’t learn anything from this because she kept getting sent out in the hall. Walking the halls was just a way to get out of class. She didn’t get talked to about her problems or why she was being sent out. All she had to do was go walk and think about why she was out there and she could return when she would start listening. One day he told her to go out in the hall and come back when she was ready to listen, so she walked out and walked right back in. He told her no, and sent her back out. This also disrupted the class and made us off task because he had to stop and yell at her. I will not use this management technique in my classroom because I find it very ineffective.
ReplyDeleteIn elementary school, I remember my primary teachers using the “1,2,3… eyes on me” approach to classroom management. It wasn’t until years later that I learned there was a response to this saying (“1,2… eyes on you). The teachers would generally use this when the students were talking too much or losing focus and bring them back together as a class. I think this is a very interactive approach to classroom management since it requires a response from your students and it lets you know that they did listen to your attention getter and that you now know they are listening to what you are about to say. I have used this strategy before while I was teaching a lesson last semester and it worked wonderfully. I do plan to keep using this classroom management skill since it has worked in different classroom settings over time. It is easy to use and it does not pick out one student specifically if they are the one losing focus or the one to continue talking.
ReplyDeleteI had an experience like Erica's as well. But instead of using hand gestures, I had teachers that went silent and stopped talking while you were talking so then I was the only one left inthe classroom making noise. It is such an embarrassing feeling at a young age to be singled out for disruptive behavior. But I learned my lesson from then on to not to talk when the teacher is talking! I would also never use this method as classroom management, I feel in a way it is passive aggressive and not helpful in the way you want to produce classroom management.
ReplyDeleteOne classroom management technique that I will never forget comes from when I was in kindergarten. My teacher had a bell that she would ring when she wanted to get our attention. Once she rang the bell we knew that we needed to stop what we were doing, put our hands on our heads, and give her our full attention. This was a great management technique because everyone knew what to do and it always seemed to work well. I can definitely see myself using this technique depending on the grade level that I teach. I would be more likely to use something like this if I were teaching lower elementary. Overall, I think this is a great cueing system for teachers to use to get their students' attention.
ReplyDeleteMany teachers call out students in front of their peers when they are trying to get their attention. Overall, I don't think that it is an effective approach. Students may respond correctly to this management technique, but they most likely will feel embarrassed in the process. Instead of yelling across the room, I think that teachers should quietly and discreetly approach students like Shelby said. I honestly believe that if you show respect for your students they will show you respect in return. By quietly reminding students to pay attention, you will avoid singling out individuals, while still holding them accountable.
ReplyDeleteI had a very similar teacher to the one that BreAnna described. My third grade teacher was so awful because if you were doing something disruptive she would take you into the hallway and scold you. I can remember going into the hallway with her once and by the end of it I was crying uncontrollably. I don't think that I ever really acted out in class, but rather I feel like I was a pretty good, attentive student. I just can't imagine that anything that any student does in class is horrible enough to make them cry. If you want respect from your students you should treat them as children should be treated, which is with care. You should not scare them in order to demand them to cooperate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chase's comment. It would be scary for a student to be singled out and have to go in the hallway to be reprimanded by a teacher. I also don't think this is a good technique, because while the teacher is in the hallway disciplining one student, the rest of the class is left on their own, and may be acting up. Like Chase said, if you want respect from your students you should treat them with care.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in 5th grade I had a very strict teacher. She was that one teacher that everyone in the lower grades knew about and never wanted to have. In my 5th grade year she was not my home room teacher but she was my Science teacher. I was so happy to only have her for one subject of the day, but Science turned out to be my most dreaded subject that year. Something that she would do would be to poke fun of or make an example out of the student(s) that were misbehaving. Something that she would do would be to call you out about something you were doing. This could have been talking while she didn't want you to. What she would do would be to ask you why you were talking. After you would answer she would repeat what you would say in a mocking voice. This was the worst form of humiliation. This was her type of classroom management technique to keep the students in line. I will NOT be using this technique at all. I believe that having students live their school days in fear is the worst type of learning environment for students.
ReplyDeleteI had the same experience as Chase had with my first grade teacher and a bell that she used. I agree that this was a great technique for younger grades. I think that when you are just getting used to school at that young age a bell or some sort of audio reminder is great for students to listen for and react to. When students are in school they are so used to listening to the teacher talk all day long. Sometimes it is hard for them to pick out directions for regular old talk. That is why I think an audio reminder is a great technique for classroom management with younger students.
ReplyDeleteKaitlyn- I love the the 1, 2, 3 eyes on me strategy to get the students' attention! Catchy attention grabbers are most effective for ending and beginning activities. Without an easy way to get the students' attention, transitions can be hectic. During my Level 1 field experience, to grab the students' attention my teacher would sing a little song and the students followed the actions. "Open, shut them, open, shut them. Give a little clap, clap, clap. Open, shut them, open, shut them. Put them in your lap, lap, lap." The song grabbed the students' attention at the beginning of a lesson and reminded them to keep their hands to themselves and pay attention.
ReplyDeleteThrough my years as an elementary student, my teachers had many classroom management strategies they used to get students' attention back focusing on the teacher. Some were extremely successful while others were not.
ReplyDeleteIn third grade, I remember one of my teachers used to look at the clock and watch how long it would take for our classroom to settle down and stop talking. My teacher counted up the minutes it took for us to realize that we needed to stop being so disruptive and focus back on the teacher. However long it took us in minutes to calm down and become quiet again, that's how long our classroom would have to sit in from recess as a whole class.
I feel this strategy wasn't very effective because it took the loud and disruptive students a long time to realize to finally be quiet again. For the students that noticed right away, it had to affect them to stay in as well. I was also one of those students who had to stay in for my classmate's actions. I feel this was not effective because it made the other classmates gang up and become upset at the classmates who ruined recess for them. I would not use this as a strategy in the classroom because I don't feel that it would be right to keep the whole classroom in for just one student's actions. I would make the one student/(s) stay in a couple minutes to discuss teh proper behavior that is expected from them or to see if some other factor is going on outside of school (if I felt this was not normal about the student).
When I drove back home a couple weeks ago, I went to visit my mother at her workplace, (works at a Teacher Associate in an elementary school- the same school I went to), as well as my brother who also is a fourth grader. Arriving and visiting my brother's classroom, I walked and observed what the class was doing. Since his teacher is a family friend of ours, I sat down and watched the teacher walk around the classroom looking at their science projects. After time passed, she came up with this attention phrase that I had never heard before! Since there was a lot of students that liked Spongebob, she came up with a phrase in tune to the T.V.'s theme show song. Her version went, "Who has ears that will listen to me?"... Then the students all replied back "I will! I will!" It was a phrase that I never heard before and I thought it was effective since they sang it like the tune, as well as it incorporated students' interest of the T.V. show. This would be something I would use in my own classroom too! Very creative!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in elementary school, most of the teachers at my school would say "clap once if you can hear me, clap twice if you can hear me" And so on until the entire classroom was actively listening. This technique worked well because the sound of the students clapping got louder and louder the more students were paying attention, so it was grab the attention of students who were not paying attention, sort of like a domino effect. As a student, I remember enjoying this classroom management technique because it felt like a game to me, and it always helped me to be an attentive student. As a teacher, I would use this technique because it works well and is sort of fun for the students at the same time.
ReplyDeleteA Classroom management technique that I have observed Mrs. Guenther using during my field experience is using engaging activities for her students at the end of the day. Her students start getting a little crazier and behavioral issues increase during the last hour of school, so she keeps her students busy with hands-on activites and things that will really peak their interest and keep them engaged. This seems to work really well with her class, and the students respond well to the tasks that she assigns them to.
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